A convenient three dimensional model to teach the arterial supply of the brainstem

Gangata, H.

doi:10.1016/j.artres.2009.03.001

« PreviousArtery Research
Volume 3, Issue 2 , Pages 89-90, June 2009

A convenient three dimensional model to teach the arterial supply of the brainstem

Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Received 27 February 2009; received in revised form 19 March 2009; accepted 20 March 2009. published online 22 April 2009.

Summary

An easier approach of teaching the three dimensional nature of arteries of the brainstem is being proposed and aids the understanding of clinical vascular conditions of the brain. Various regions of a standing student appear to represent different parts of the brainstem: head (midbrain), trunk (pons), thigh (medulla oblongata), leg (spinal cord), satchel (cerebellum) and plastic box (fourth ventricle). The vertebral arteries travel proximal to the spinal cord and medulla oblongata and unite at the position of the belt buckle to form the basilar artery. The basilar artery runs superiorly and finally bifurcates laterally at the neck of the student, to form the posterior cerebral artery. The teaching aid is simple, convenient and depicts 19 arteries of brainstem and circle of Willis.

Keywords: Artery, Brainstem, Anatomical education